Favorite sports team footwear construction

ABSTRACT

A footwear construction including an inner shell supporting and enclosing a human foot, and an outer shell permanently bonded onto the inner shell including a replica of at least one of a sports team&#39;s designated colors, name, logo, selected player&#39;s name and selected player&#39;s identifying number.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] NONE

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

[0003] NOT APPLICABLE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] 1. Field of the Invention

[0005] This invention relates to a fan's favorite sports team, in general, and to a fan's favorite sports team's purchasable clothing, in particular.

[0006] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0007] As is well known and understood, the business of manufacturing and selling clothing for a fan's favorite sports team has grown by leaps and bounds. Whereas several years back, a fan could only purchase caps identifying his/her favorite professional Major League baseball team, nowadays one can purchase a cap for almost every type of baseball team—be it Major Leagues, Minor Leagues, College or High School, alike. While such caps used to be solely the province of baseball teams, furthermore, purchases of such caps can be had for just about every athletic team no matter the sport, and whether professional or amateur. Moreover, whole industries have sprung up to manufacture and sell jackets, sweatshirts, T-shirts, and jerseys carrying the colors, names and logos of the selected teams, along with selected player's names and their identifying numbers as well. It is the usual situation, for example, for an attendee at these team events to see myriad numbers of jackets, sweatshirts, and pants carrying a team's name or emblazoned with that of a favorite player. As will be appreciated, the sale of such clothing brings in significant revenues to a sponsor—and has even led to the establishment of retail stores which cater almost entirely to customers wishing to purchase such identifying clothing. In New York City, as illustrative of this, is the recent opening of a store for the sale of New York Yankee clothing, and other sports memorabilia.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] As will become clear from the following description, the present invention extends this burgeoning industry one step further in its development of a fan's favorite sports team's footwear construction. Preferably in the form of a “boot” (although available as a “sneaker” or “shoe” according to the teachings of the invention), the footwear construction includes a molded inner shell for supporting and enclosing a foot—with the inner shell having a bottom area of preselected length and width, right and left sides, a back, and a toe area. The construction additionally includes an outer shell covering the right and left sides, the back area and the toe area of the inner shell—and, also, the tongue covering an upper frontal area of the inner shell. With a ground-engaging support element mounted to the bottom area of the inner shell, the footwear construction concludes with the outer shell including a replica of at least one of the fan's favorite sports team's designated colors, name, logo, favorite player's name and favorite player's identifying number permanently bonded onto the inner shell.

[0009] As will be seen from the following description, the outer shell may permanently be bonded about the right and left sides of the inner shell, alone, or together with the back and/or toe area thereof—and, even, about the tongue covering itself. With the inner shell being shaped to generally conform to the anatomical contour of a human foot (and additionally to the contour of an “ankle” where the footwear takes the form of the preferred “boot”), the outer shell would include the sports team's designated colors and a replica on its sides of one of the team's designated name, the favorite selected player's name and the favorite selected player's identifying number. Available in several types of manufactures, the team name could be permanently bonded on one side of the inner shell, with the player's name permanently bonded on the other side. Alternatively, the player's name could be permanently bonded on one side, and the player's identifying number permanently bonded on the other side of the shell—with the numbers being aligned horizontally or vertically, as desired.

[0010] In one construction of the footwear, for example, the team name could be bonded on the right side of the inner shell to be worn on the right foot, with the selected player's name bonded on the left side to be worn on the left foot; in this construction, the player's identifying number could be bonded vertically on the left side of the inner shell for the fan's right foot, with the player's number being bonded horizontally on the right side of the inner shell for the fan's left foot. In this typical type of construction, in addition, the teams designated colors are displayed throughout, about the right and left sides, the back, the toe area and the tongue covering of the footwear construction. As will be readily appreciated, arrangements for lacing the two side areas of the inner and outer shells are provided, for tying off the boot, sneaker or shoe for wearing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGS. 1-5 are pictorial illustrations helpful in an understanding of the teachings and advantages of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the fan's favorite sports team's footwear construction of the invention includes a molded inner shell 10, for supporting and enclosing a foot, with FIG. 1 showing the inner shell as having a bottom area 12 of preselected length and width, right and left sides 14, 16 respectively, a back 18 and a toe area 20. A tongue area 22 covers an upper frontal area of the inner shell 10, and a ground engaging support element 24 is mounted to the bottom area 12. As FIGS. 2-5 illustrate, the footwear construction further includes an outer shell 26 which includes a replica of at least one of a sports team's designated colors (as at 28), name 30, logo 32, selected player's name 34 and selected player's identifying number 36—with the outer shell 26 being permanently bonded onto the inner shell 10. Depending upon manufacturer's production considerations, the outer shell 26 may be permanently bonded about the right and left sides 14, 16 of the inner shell 10 only, or about those two sides and the back 18, as well—or further, about the toe area 20 and the tongue 22 as desired. In a preferred construction of the invention—particularly with the footwear construction being that of a boot—, the outer shell 26 of the invention is permanently bonded about each of the right and left sides 14, 16, the back 18, the toe area 20 and the tongue 22. In this preferred construction, the inner shell 10 is shaped to generally conform to the anatomical contour of a human foot—and when the footwear construction is that of a “boot”, the inner shell 10 is shaped to generally conform to the anatomical contour of a human ankle, as well.

[0013] As FIGS. 2-5 of the drawings exemplify, the outer shell of the construction includes a replica of one of a sports team's designated name and selected player's name and/or identifying number in addition to the team's designated colors permanently bonded to the inner shell. Thus, the team's name may be permanently bonded as 30 on the right side of the right boot 50 in FIG. 3, while the selected player's name is permanently bonded on the left side of the left boot 52 in FIG. 2. Where appropriate, the team's logo may be permanently bonded at 54, with the selected player's identifying number permanently bonded on the right side of the left boot 52 in FIG. 5 or on the left side of the right boot 50 in FIG. 4—in the first instance, displayed in a horizontal alignment, and in the second instance, displayed in a vertical alignment. Obviously, the team's name, and the player's name may be interchanged, and the alignment of the displayed identifying number reversed while still carrying out the teachings of the invention; and/or both the team's name and the player's name could be permanently bonded on the facing inside surfaces of the boots 50, 52 with the numberings on the outside surfaces both within the purview of the invention. Lacings of the left and right sides 14, 16 can be effected at 56 in any appropriate manner over the tongue in conventional fashion.

[0014] While FIGS. 2-5 illustrate the team's name 30 as being that of the professional basketball team Los Angeles Lakers, and the selected player's name being that of one its star performers, Kobe Bryant, it will be understood that any other Lakers' player's name could be permanently bonded instead, and that player's identifying number substituted (for example, emblazoning the name “Shaq” for the player Shaquille O'Neal, instead, with his own identifying number “34” in place of Kobe Bryant's “8”). Understanding, at the same time, that the coloration of the outer shell 26 would be in the nature of the Lakers' team “gold”, with the wording in “purple”, different colorations would be employed for use with any other team selection—be it the New Jersey Nets, the Chicago Bulls, or otherwise. The selected player's name would, of course, in those instances be playing members of those teams—or any other team so selected; and this would apply not only to the professional basketball teams so identified, but to any other teams, and in any applicable sport. In each instance, the end result would be seen to be the then availability of another favorite sports team's item of purchasable clothing—this time, in the nature of footwear either as a boot, a sneaker, or a shoe. Construction of a boot, however, is preferable, according to the invention, as their relatively smoother construction permits an easier bonding of the outer shell 26 to the inner shell; a sneaker, for example, with its additional stitching would require further manufacturing steps. In this respect, the same type of material could be used as the outer shell 26 for the permanent bonding of this identifying indicia as might be employed in the construction of a favorite sports team's jersey.

[0015] While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the invention. 

I claim:
 1. A favorite sports team footwear construction comprising: a molded inner shell for supporting and enclosed a foot, said inner shell having a bottom area of preselected length and width, right and left sides, a back, and a toe area; an outer shell covering said right and left sides, said back and said toe area of said inner shell; a tongue covering an upper frontal area of said inner shell; and a ground engaging support element mounted to said bottom area of said inner shell; and with said outer shell including a replica of at least one of a sports team's designated colors, name, logo, selected player's name and selected player's identifying number permanently bonded onto said inner shell.
 2. The footwear construction of claim 1 wherein said outer shell is permanently bonded about the right and left sides of said inner shell.
 3. The footwear construction of claim 1 wherein said outer shell is permanently bonded about the right and left sides and about the back of said inner shell.
 4. The footwear construction of claim 1 wherein said outer shell is permanently bonded about the right and left sides, the back, and the toe area of said inner shell.
 5. The footwear construction of claim 1 wherein said outer shell is permanently bonded about the right and left sides, the back, and the toe area of said inner shell, and about said tongue.
 6. The footwear construction of claim 1 wherein said inner shell is shaped to generally conform to an anatomical contour of a human foot.
 7. The footwear construction of claim 5 wherein said inner shell is shaped to generally conform to an anatomical contour of a human foot.
 8. The footwear construction of claim 1 wherein said molded inner shell and said outer shell are configured and dimensioned in forming a boot.
 9. The footwear construction of claim 5 wherein said molded inner shell and said outer shell are configured and dimensioned in forming a boot.
 10. The footwear construction of claim 8 wherein said inner shell is shaped to generally conform to the anatomical contour of a human foot and ankle.
 11. The footwear construction of claim 9 wherein said inner shell is shaped to generally conform to the anatomical contour of a human foot and ankle.
 12. The footwear construction of claim 1 wherein said outer shell includes a sports team's designated colors and a replica of one of a sports team's designated name and selected player's name permanently bonded on one of said right and left sides of said inner shell, and said sports team's designated colors and a replica of the other of said sports team's designated name and selected player's name permanently bonded on the other of said right and left sides of said inner shell.
 13. The footwear construction of claim 1 wherein said outer shell includes a sports team's designated colors and a replica of one of a sports team's designated name and selected player's identifying number permanently bonded on one of said right and left sides of said inner shell displayed in one of a horizontal and vertical alignment, and said sports team's designated colors and a replica of the other of said sports team's designated name and selected player's identifying number permanently bonded on the other of said right and left sides of said inner shell in one of a horizontal and vertical alignment.
 14. The footwear construction of claim 1 wherein said outer shell includes a sports team's designated colors and a replica of one of a sports team's selected player's name and selected player's identifying number permanently bonded on one of said right and left sides of said inner shell displayed in one of a horizontal and vertical alignment, and said sports team's designated colors and a replica of the other of said sports team's selected player's name and selected player's identifying number permanently bonded on the other of said right and left sides of said inner shell in one of a horizontal and vertical alignment.
 15. The footwear construction of claim 5 wherein said outer shell includes a sports team's designated colors and a replica of one of a sports team's designated name and selected player's name permanently bonded on one of said right and left sides of said inner shell, and said sports team's designated colors and a replica of the other of said sports team's designated name and selected player's name permanently bonded on the other of said right and left sides of said inner shell.
 16. The footwear construction of claim 5 wherein said outer shell includes a sports team's designated colors and a replica of one of a sports team's designated name and selected player's identifying number permanently bonded on one of said right and left sides of said inner shell displayed in one of a horizontal and vertical alignment, and said sports team's designated colors and a replica of the other of said sports team's designated name and selected player's identifying number permanently bonded on the other of said right and left sides of said inner shell in one of a horizontal and vertical alignment.
 17. The footwear construction of claim 5 wherein said outer shell includes a sports team's designated colors and a replica of one of a sports team's selected player's name and selected player's identifying number permanently bonded on one of said right and left sides of said inner shell displayed in one of a horizontal and vertical alignment, and said sports team's designated colors and a replica of the other of said sports team's selected player's name and selected player's identifying number permanently bonded on the other of said right and left sides of said inner shell in one of a horizontal and vertical alignment.
 18. The footwear construction of claim 1, also including means for lacing together said right and left sides of said inner shell at a frontal area thereof.
 19. The footwear construction of claim 5, also including means for lacing together said right and left sides of said inner shell at a frontal area thereof. 